We believe these changes will also help prevent a fire resulting from an extremely high speed impact that tears the wheels off the car, like the other Model S impact fire, which occurred last year in Mexico. This happened after the vehicle impacted a roundabout at 110 mph (177kmh), shearing off 15 feet (4.5m) of concrete curbwall and tearing off the left front wheel, then smashing through an eight foot tall buttressed concrete wall on the other side of the road and tearing off the right front wheel, before crashing into a tree. The driver stepped out and walked away with no permanent injuries and a fire, again limited to the front section of the vehicle, started several minutes later. The underbody shields will help prevent a fire even in such a scenario.
Via Instapundia [1], “Taking Tesla safety to the extreme | Business Spectator [2]”
Wow. That's certainly a far cry from the Ford Pinto [3].
[1] http://pjmedia.com/instapundit/186068/
[2] http://www.businessspectator.com.au/article/2014/3/31/smart-
[3] http://auto.howstuffworks.com/1971-1980-ford-pinto12.htm